In automatic machines of the aforedescribed type, the sliceable product is advanced upon the carriage automatically. For this purpose, a sliceable-product holder can be provided which usually runs along a guide bar on the carriage and is provided with a drive for advancing the holder or returning it to its starting position.
For positioning and thus for advance into the cutting position, the drive can be provided with a rapid advance portion and a slower advance portion for the actual displacement during the cutting process. The holder is usually cantilevered from the portion riding on the bar and thus is driven from only one side, the opposite side being subject to the load formed by the sliceable product.
As a result, the asymmetric forces upon the holder can cause canting and jamming thereof during advance of the sliceable product.